Microsoft Surface 3: A smaller and more refined chip off the old block
PUBLISHED ONMay 22, 2015 4:15 AMByKoh Wanzi
A new Surface for a different audience
The Microsoft Surface line of 2-in-1 devices has had a checkered history. But since 2012's fragmented offering consisting of the Surface RT and Surface Pro, Microsoft's Surface tablets-cum-notebooks have gone through a series of iterative improvements that, slowly but surely, have pushed the devices to the forefront as serious notebook alternatives.
Indeed, Microsoft finally hit on a winning formula with last year's Surface Pro 3. Its crisp 2,160 x 1,440-pixel display finally ditched its predecessors' 16:9 aspect ratio in favour of a 3:2 aspect ratio that worked better for productivity tasks. Given that the 12-inch Surface Pro 3 was targeted at business and creative professionals, the new 3:2 aspect ratio provided valuable vertical screen real estate to work with. Case in point: a so-called 'taller' display' would allow you to view more text in a document at any one time, whereas a 'wider' one would simply stretch it across the screen.
And at just 799g in weight and a svelte 9.1mm thick, the Surface Pro 3 (capable of being equipped with up to a fourth-generation Intel Core i7 processor) appeared to have found the sweet spot in terms of ease of handling, portability and performance.
Building off the same formula
While industry watchers were expecting the latest Surface slate out of Microsoft to be an upgrade to the immensely popular Surface Pro 3, we instead got the Surface 3, a sized-down version of the larger slate. But that's not to say that we are disappointed. The Surface Pro 3 was not cheap - the lowest-specced Core i3 model cost S$1,108 and the highest would set you back by a whooping S$2,698 - so we're glad to hear that Microsoft has decided to package the quality and winning design of the Surface Pro 3 into a smaller, more affordable package for less demanding users.
As we noted in our hands-on preview of the device, the Surface 3 looks quite literally like the smaller sibling of the larger Surface Pro 3. They feature the same silver-gray magnesium alloy construction and the same impeccable build quality. Even though it's supposed to be somewhat less premium than the Surface Pro 3, the new Surface is still solidly built and all the parts are welded together seamlessly.
At just 8.7mm thick, it is also Microsoft's thinnest Surface yet. Adding the Type Cover bulks it up to a still-slim 13.6mm, just marginally thicker than the new Apple Macbook released earlier this year. It is also the lightest Surface ever, weighing just 622g - a good 178g lighter than the Surface 3 Pro and almost 300g lighter than the new MacBook.
It even works with the same N-trig active pen that we saw with the Surface Pro 3, with the same functionality that we loved. Unfortunately, this is also one area where Microsoft has cut back for the new device - the pen is not bundled with it and will have to be purchased separately for S$73. This is probably why the Surface 3 does not prompt you to pair with the Surface Pen during setup. Instead, you'll need to enter the Bluetooth settings menu to manually pair the pen.
That aside, the pen functions pretty much the same as did on the Surface Pro 3. Clicking the top button brings up OneNote for quick note-taking, and the palm block technology functions as admirably as ever.
The Bluetooth pairing is handled by the onboard Marvell Avastar 88W8897 chip that also integrates support for the 802.11ac wireless standard (2x2 MIMO spatial stream multiplexing with data rates up to 866.7 Mbps) and NFC.
When it comes to the Type Cover keyboard, the Surface 3 gets its own sized-down version of the backlit keyboard that we loved on the Surface Pro 3. Unfortunately, it is also an optional accessory and getting one will cost you S$199, the same as the Type Cover for the Surface Pro 3.
The Type Cover keyboard is also where Microsoft's attention to detail is the most apparent. While the Surface Pro 3's Type Cover keyboard acquitted itself quite well, one minor niggle we had with it was its shallow key travel and slightly mushy feel. In this area, the Type Cover for the Surface 3 is not merely a smaller version of last year's Type Cover and instead boasts farther key travel distance that makes for a better and more tactile typing experience. The new Type Cover keyboard represents quite a significant improvement in typing, all while maintaining a slim 4.9mm-thick profile. It's also available in two new and more vibrant colors - bright blue and red.
Connectivity-options wise, the Surface 3 still offers only one USB 3.0 port and a single mini-DisplayPort output on its right edge. We'd have liked to see more USB 3.0 ports, but given that this is supposed to be the more affordable model, we're not complaining. Microsoft has also swapped out the reversible charging port on the Surface Pro 3 for a more conventional microUSB port. The reversible, magnetic charging plug for the larger slate was a nice touch, but microUSB compatibility adds to the broader, mass-market appeal of the Surface 3 - if you lose the charger, you no longer have to shell out S$108 to replace it.
In addition, Microsoft has made some placement changes to the headphone jack and volume controls. The headphones jack has been moved to the bottom of the Surface 3's right edge, while the volume rocker is now positioned at the top, next to the power button. We like the new placement of the headphone jack as it's now more convenient to plug in headphones while using the Surface 3 with its Type Cover keyboard. The headphone cord can now trail discreetly from its bottom edge, instead of dangling from the top as with the Surface Pro 3. With regards to the volume rocker, we found it equally easy to use on both tablets, so it really comes down to a matter of personal preference.
Furthermore, should you be in need of more storage, the Surface 3 takes a leaf from the Surface Pro 3's book with a microSD card slot hidden under its kickstand.
Finally, Microsoft has also released a dedicated docking station for the Surface 3 to help it circumvent its limited port options. At S$288, it's not exactly cheap, but you get a far more complete array of ports that will enable you plug in a mouse, optical drive and external hard drive all at the same time. You also gain access to the Internet via a Gigabit Ethernet port, in case Wi-Fi isn't available.
Pared down to the essentials
The Surface 3 sports a 10.8-inch display with a slightly uncommon resolution of 1920 x 1280, which makes for the same 3:2 aspect ratio as on the Surface Pro 3. The smaller display on the Surface 3 also means that pixel density and the general sharpness of the display does not take much of a hit when compared to its bigger sibling. In fact, with a pixel density of 214ppi, the Surface 3 is more or less on par with the Surface Pro 3's 216ppi. When using both devices, we also felt that there wasn't much of a difference between the displays, so that's one concern put to rest right there.
And while last year's multi-position, friction hinge kickstand may have wowed us with how well it worked, the Surface 3's kickstand is capable of only three positions. This may seem like a step down, but the new kickstand proves to be as solidly constructed as its predecessor. It notches into each of the three positions with reassuring feedback and is in no danger of accidentally being pushed into the next position. The versatility of the Surface Pro 3's kickstand was a much-valued feature, but the Surface 3's kickstand works so well that the much-lauded multi-position hinge may just prove to be a luxury instead of a necessity.
In addition, the rear camera has received an upgrade over the 5MP fixed focus camera on the Surface Pro 3. The new Surface is now outfitted with an 8MP camera that is capable of auto focus. But while Microsoft has bumped up the capabilities of the rear camera, it has instead opted to cut back on the front camera, implementing a 3.5MP fixed focus camera over the 5MP one on the Surface Pro 3. This decision reflects Microsoft's design philosophy with the Surface 3 - by beefing up the rear camera, which arguably matters more, and cutting costs on the front camera, it is focusing its resources on the areas that count in order to deliver a more cost-effective product.
Storage is also another area where Microsoft has cut back on. The Surface 3 utilizes eMMC flash memory, which is the same type of memory used on the iPhone 6. As an embedded multimedia card, eMMC flash lacks the firmware or other dedicated hardware and interfaces that allow SSDs - like the mSATA SSD on the Surface Pro 3 - to perform so well. With the Surface 3, Microsoft thus appears to be gravitating away from notebook replacement and toward the tablet end of the spectrum.
The most significant change comes under the hood, where the new 64-bit, quad-core Intel Atom x7-Z8700 processor hums along. This makes the Surface 3 the first device available to consumers to use Intel's new 14nm Cherry Trail platform. The Atom x7-Z8700 is the highest-end chip in Intel's latest Atom line-up, with a base clock of 1.6GHz and Intel Burst technology that can ramp it up to 2.4GHz (the equivalent of Turbo Boost on desktop processors). It also has 2MB L3 cache and a rated SDP (Scenario Design Power) of just 2W.
In the graphics processing department, it relies on onboard Intel HD Graphics which has just 16 execution units and runs at a GPU base frequency of 200MHz and burst frequency of up to 600MHz. Despite Cherry Trail's focus on improved graphics performance, this still isn't capable of any serious gaming performance, as we'll see in our benchmarks later.
Another notable change would be the absence of a fan on the Surface 3. While the Surface Pro 3 had vents along its edges for exhaust, but the Surface 3 dispenses with the need for any thanks to the Intel Atom chip on board. This brings it in line with other Intel Core M Ultrabooks and 2-in-1 hybrids on the market today, which also lack a dedicated fan for active cooling.
But unlike the Surface Pro 3 which was available in five different configurations, Microsoft's new Surface has simplified things with just two configurations to choose from. The cheaper configuration offers 64GB of storage and 2GB of RAM, while the more pricey option doubles that to 128GB of storage and 4GB of RAM. At just S$748 and S$898 respectively, the Surface 3 is much easier on the wallet than its more powerful sibling. After factoring in the cost of the S$199 Type Cover keyboard and S$73 pen, you might see the price go up to S$1,170 for the 4GB model plus both accessories. That's only slightly more expensive than the cheapest Surface Pro 3 configuration (without the Type Cover keyboard), so we feel that the new Surface still offers quite good value.
Thanks to Cherry Trail's support for x86 Windows, the Surface 3 will still run Windows 8.1. Microsoft may have cut back on the hybrid device's specifications, but it has retained full functionality in the areas that really matter. And after the abysmal reception of the Windows RT-powered Surfaces, Windows 8.1 is clearly the only option. This means that the Surface 3 is also primed for a free upgrade to Windows 10, which is slated for release later this year.
Performance benchmarking
We put the Surface 3 through our usual suite of synthetic and real-world gaming benchmarks. For comparison, we'll of course be including the Surface Pro 3 and other highly-portable 2-in-1 hybrids like the ASUS Transformer Book T300 Chi and Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro. The full list of benchmarks used is as follows:-
PCMark 8
3DMark 2013
Tomb Raider
Far Cry 2
Before diving into the results, we've compiled tables to show how the Surface 3 stacks up against the competition.
PCMark 8
As expected, the Surface 3 doesn't fare at all well in PCMark 8, clearly lagging behind the other ultrabooks and 2-in-1 hybrids in most of the benchmarks. This is no doubt due to the weaker capabilities of the Intel Atom x7-Z8700, which fails to stand up to the other Core M- and Core i-series processors. Its 4GB of RAM also penalizes it against the others, which - other than the 13-inch MacBook Air - are all fitted with 8GB.
It managed to narrow the difference in the storage tests, although it still fell behind the pack due to its eMMC flash memory, which failed to stand up against the full-fledged SSD solutions used in the other devices.
3DMark 2013
Results were similar in 3DMark 2013, where the Surface 3 scored the lowest among all the devices. This isn't something that we can hold against it though because the onboard graphics on the Intel Atom x7-Z8700 is something of a lightweight compared to the other devices in the comparison line-up. It is a good 40 per cent slower than the Surface Pro 3, which wasn't much of a heavy hitter in the graphics department anyway. Clearly, you won't be running any games on the new Surface 3, but why would you even want to anyway?
Far Cry 2
The 13-inch MacBook Air (Intel HD Graphics 6000) and Dell XPS 13 (Intel HD Graphics 5500) were the only ultrabooks to eek out somewhat playable frame rates (>30fps) in Far Cry 2 at Medium settings. The Surface 3 is once again heavily penalized because of its Intel Atom processor, posting a hardly-playable 6.81fps on High settings. It was on average about 40 per cent slower than the Intel Core M-equipped ultrabooks like this year's MacBook and the ASUS Transformer Book T300 Chi.
Tomb Raider
All our compared devices fared quite poorly across the board in Tomb Raider, regardless of whether they were equipped with Intel Core i, Core M or Atom processors. It might seem difficult to derive any significant insights with all the devices performing so poorly, but this benchmark still serves as a useful gauge of the Surface 3's performance relative to other devices. At 7.1fps and 5.4fps for Normal and High settings respectively, it's safe to say that Lara Croft won't be going anywhere. The Surface 3 also once again fell behind the Surface Pro 3 - it was almost 36 per cent slower.
Battery Life & Power Consumption
Battery life is where the Surface 3's power-sipping Atom processor really helps it to shine. It had the second-best performing battery, behind only the 13-inch MacBook Air. But when you consider that the latter notebook has a fairly large 54Wh battery, the performance we saw on the Surface 3's 28Wh power pack appears all the more impressive. It lasted a good 5 hours and 9 minutes through our battery tests, which included video editing, gaming and productivity tasks. This put it ahead of the Intel Core M-equipped MacBook, ASUS Transformer Book T300 Chi and the Lenovo Yoga Pro 3. It also lasted a whole 2 hours (and then some) longer than the Surface Pro 3, which should mean that you'll be able to get a whole lot of more work out of it when away from a charger.
A look at the power consumption figures reveals just why the Surface 3 has such good battery life. It came up to just 5.44W, almost half that of the MacBook Air which had the longest battery life. In comparison, the Surface Pro 3's power consumption was among the highest at 14W and seems almost power-hungry beside the Surface 3. The Atom x7-Z8700 is seriously a stellar performer in the power savings and battery department.
Portability Index
Our Portability Index translates factors like battery life, weight and volume into a ratio to help you better judge which device is more convenient to port around. Here, the Surface 3 absolutely runs away with the crown with a ratio of 19.061. With the added bulk of the Type Cover keyboard, this falls to 8.427, which is still ahead of the pack - the 2015 MacBook has a ratio of 7.452. The Surface 3's slim dimensions and excellent battery life combine for a winning combination here.
Lower performance, but a more affordable device with superior portability
The Surface 3 is essentially the Surface Pro 3 distilled down to its core elements. Microsoft has taken a long, hard look at the bigger tablet, decided what users really need, and thrown out the rest. The result is a still high-quality, smaller 2-in-1 device that costs quite a bit less, and is all the more appealing because of that. And combined with the improvements made to the optional Type Cover keyboard, we'd say that Microsoft has crafted quite a compelling product.
While we may have seemed a bit harsh on the Surface 3 in our performance benchmarks, we present the numbers knowing that the target audience of the Surface 3 will not want for performance in those areas. Microsoft never designed the Surface 3 to be a performance tablet or notebook, and we can't really penalize the device for failing to do something it was never meant to do.
A look at the target audiences of the Surface 3 and Surface Pro 3 will also better help to frame our approach to the new device. Microsoft explicitly specified that the Surface 3 is targeted at students and families, whereas it mentions creative professionals in its marketing pitch for the Surface Pro 3. Programs like Adobe Photoshop tend to require more RAM and processing power, which explains the beefier capabilities of the Surface Pro 3.
On the other hand, students and more casual users who don't dabble in photo and video editing will likely be more focused on the word processing and web surfing capabilities of a prospective device. This is an area that the Surface 3 is more than capable of taking on. It's good for things like quick note-taking and serving as a highly portable laptop replacement that you can whip out anytime and anywhere.
The performance numbers may say that the Surface 3 is a step down from the Surface Pro 3 and pretty much any ultrabook or 2-in-1 hybrid on the market, but we don't really see it that way. Again, it all comes down to Microsoft's intentions. The Surface 3 isn't meant to be an upgrade to the Surface Pro 3, but rather a more cost-effective alternative with some minor improvements to its accessories and port placements. In this respect, it delivers quite well. Our review model was the higher specced model of the two possible configurations, with 128GB of storage and 4GB of RAM, which will cost you S$898.
In addition, there will be a separate model targeted at students featuring 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. This will be part of an education bundle that may even include the Surface Pen and Type Cover. Pricing and availability details haven't been released yet, but we are expecting it to retail at around S$600 or lower.
We've compiled a table for easier viewing of the available specifications and prices here:-
We have just one caveat to add: it's probably better to go for the model with more RAM because even opening multiple tabs on Chrome can take up quite a bit of memory. From a cost perspective, the Surface 3 is also considerably more affordable than any other comparable 2-in-1 hybrid devices in the market today - the lowest specced Surface Pro 3 would set you back S$1,103 while ASUS' Transformer Book T300 Chi is over S$1,400.
The 4GB model appears to have found quite a nice balance between quality, productivity and affordability. And we haven't even come to the excellent battery life and portability of the Surface 3. In that regard, the Surface 3 absolutely delivers. Thanks to the efficient Atom x7-Z8700, the Surface 3 practically sips power and will do well for users who are often away from a power point. In addition, its slimmer profile, smaller dimensions, and lighter weight means that it's even easier to cart around. The Surface Pro 3 might still feel a little heavy for one-handed use, but the weight of the Surface 3 feels just right.
We're a little sorry to see that the Surface Pen isn't bundled this time round, but that's probably another aspect of how Microsoft has made the Surface 3 more affordable. Cost is also likely why Microsoft hasn't thrown in an Intel Core M processor, but there's no guarantee that we would have seen as good a battery life with that. In sum, we really like the Surface 3: it does what it was meant to do quite well, and its low power consumption is really impressive. Instead of a notebook killer like the Surface Pro 3, Microsoft wanted to design a highly portable hybrid device that could handle basic productivity tasks, and it has succeeded.
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